Automatically operated and controlled gas-generator.



D. J. SMITH 8; C. TOWL. AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED AND CONTROLLED GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG .4. 1915.

1 ,%6&29@n Patented J mm 4, 1918.

2 SHEETSFSHEET I.

Fig .1.

D J. SMITH & C. TOWL.

AUTOMATICALLY OPERATED AND CONTROLLED GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION man AUG.4. 191 6.

1,Q68,%9, Patented June 4, 1918,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- TTNTE @T Davin J. SMITH, or FINSBURY PARK,

is raarnnr onnrcn Lennon, AND onantns TOWL, or ronns'r earn,

ENGLAND.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID Josnrn SMITH, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of a0 Woodberry Grove, Finsbury Park, London, N., England, and CHARLES Town, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of 155 Earlham Grove, Forest Gate, Essex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Automatically Operated and Controlled Gas-Generators, of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to improvements in or connected with automatically operated gas generators, and in particular to an improved construction and arrangement of automatically operated and controlled acetylene gas generator.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction of gas generator especially those for the production of acetylene gas from carbidof calcium, for the purpose of generating such gas automatically only when required for supplying and conused and trolling the supply to a gas holder or gasometer or for maintaining a uniform supply of gas for lighting, welding, or any similar purpose. A number of generators may be the water supply to the tank controlled by the pressure of gas or other known method, so that as the pressure falls, water is admitted to the tank of the generators in succession.

Our apparatus may also be employed for operating known mechanism by the pressure of the gas, for example, bulkhead doors, sluice gates or the like, or for the purpose of charging and releasing buoys for signaling or other purposes, or for raising telegraph or signallng arms or otherwise operatlng signals. An additional object of the invention is to provide such a construction of the generator that the carbid of calcium or the like is held out of reach of the water until the entry of the latter has occurred in such volume as to insure that the acetylene shall be rapidly generated and more effectively operate the said mechanism.

We provide in a closed casing a tank for water, preferably formed as a cylinder,

which is provided on its exterior with longi-' tudinal flanges or webs bearing upon the interior of a cylindrical portion of the casing, which latter therefore acts as a guide.

rod is rigidly secured in the bottom of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4, 19 18.

Application filed August 4, 1916. Serial No. 113,119.

said tank and extends in the axial line through same, the upper end being adapted to slide in a closed end guide in the upper part of the casing. Mounted concentrically upon the the said rod and adapted to slide easily thereonis a cylindrical receptacle for carbid formed of wire gauze, perforated metal or the like. The receptacle is pro vided with a central tube fitting the said rod, and with a disk at its lower end which serves asa valve fitting a seating to hold closed the upper part of the casing in which the can bid receptacle is suspended. The said rod extends through the bottom of the water tank and rests upon one end of a lever, serving as a support for the said tank, fulcrumed in the base of the closed casing. The other end of the lever supports a rod extending upwardly vertically in the closed casing and adapted to slide in guides provided therein. The said rod carries a weight rigidly secured thereto, also preferably inclosed in the casing, which serves to balance by means of the said lever the water tank supported on the other end of the balanced lever plus a certain predetermined quantity of water. Secured on the said weight rod is a valve adaptedto close the passage for the inlet of water, which is arranged in the outer casing just above the valve seating. The said inlet is preferably covered with wire gauze or perforated metal.

The said carbid receptacle is provided at its upper end, fitted to slide on the central tube, with cross-head pins having a spring between same and the collar at the end of the tube. When the apparatus is charged and set for operation, the cross-head pins are supported by the forked end of a bell-crank lever fulcrumed in the casing. The said collar also abuts when in the set position against a collar secured on the central rod of the water tank.

The said bellcrank lever co-acts with a second lever armfulcrumed in the casing, having a fork at its end engaging a pin fixed in the said weight rod. The lever arm has secured therein a pin which serves to hold the upper end of the bellcrank lever. The two levers and the said pin constitute a trip or trigger mechanism, to release the said suspended carbid cylinder when the predetermined weight of water in the said tank has been exceeded.

The apparatus operates as follows: When water flows into the said inlet, it is conveyed by the open valve into the water tank. When the weight of the rising water in the tank, plus that of the tank, overbalances that of the balance weight, the tank arm of the lever in moving down lifts the weight on the other arm and thereby lifts the pin 011 the weight lever from its holding engagement with the upper arm of the bellcrank lever, the other end of which no longer supports the carbid cylinder, which thereupon falls into the water tank, and the gas is rapidly generated. The added weight of the carbid in the tank lifts the balance weight still farther, and the valve fitted to the balance rod closes on its seating preventing the outlet of gas thereby and the further inflow of water.

In a modified construction, the valve may be carried on an arm secured to the balance weight rod, or in a further modification a flap valve may be adapted to close the water inlet, the said flap valve being connected by a link or links to the balance or weight rod.

Any number of generators may be employed adapted by these means to come into operation in succession, thus allowing the recharging of the empty or used generators, While others are supplying or ready to supply the gas holder in their turn.

And in order that our invention may be completely understood reference should be made to the accompanying sheet of drawings which illustrates one example of this invention Figure 1 is a sect1onal elevation of the apparatus showing the carbld receptacle lifted out of the water and the trigger set to be released.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation but with the trigger released, and the ca-rbid receptacle dropped into the water tank.

1 is the carbid receptacle formed of wire gauze. 2 is the water tank. The water tank and carbid receptacle have passin through them centrally fitted the rod 3, which is held in the guide d at the top of the casing, and rests at its lower end 5 on the end of the arm 6 of the balance lever, which is fulcrumed at 8 in the casing of the apparatus. The other end 7 of the balance lever supports the lower end of a rod 9 which is fitted into the slot 10 in the lever arm.

This rod is retained by the guides 11 and 12. It carries the water admission valve 13 and passes through the guide 14 into the cylindrical receptacle 15 which contains the balance weight 16. The weight 16 is secured to the rod 9 which fits and is adapted to slide in'the guide 17 provided at the top of the cylinder 15. The rod 9 is connected bycross pins 18 to the lever 19 which is fulcrumed at 20. The lever jecting pin 21 which is adapted to engage one end 22 of the bell crank lever fulcrumed 19 is provided with the proat 23 and the other arm of the lever is provided with a fork 23" adapted to embrace and partly surround the tube 24. which is lined to the carbid receptacle 1. The tube 24 surrounds and is adapted to slide on the tube The upper end of the tube 24; has fitted thereto a loose collar carrying the crosshead pin 25, and between the collar of the crosshead pins and the shoulder 26 on the I end of the tube 24%, is the spring 27. Each arm of the said fork 23 engages a crosshead pin and is provided with a project1on28 to prevent the pins when in position from turn.- ing. The spring is thus compressedbetween the said collar and shoulder when the bellcrank trigger is in the operative position. When in this position the bellcrank lever forks support the carbid receptacle 1 in its upper position, see Fig. 1, since the other end of the lever is held by the pin 21 on the lever 19. l

It will be observed that in this position the valve 30 formed on the bottom of the carbid receptacle 1 fits the seating 31 and closes the upper part ofthe cylinder 32 from the lower part 33 in order to keep the; water vapor from entering the upper partand deteriorating the carbicl.

The pipe 34 is the outlet for the acetylene gas and the port 35 is that forthe admission of water. i

Referring to Fig.2, when the water rises outside the apparatus to the level of the water inlet 35, the valve 13 being held off its seat 13 as in Fig. 1, the water flows freely by the assage 36 into the water tank 2, and on near y filling the same, the weight of the water and tank overbalances the weight 16 supported on the other side of the balance weight lever 6-7. The bellcrank 'lever 22-23 is thus released, since the falling of the water tank 2 and the carbid causes by means of the balance lever fulcrumed at 8 the rod 9 and the weight 16, the lever 10 to be lifted, and thereby the pin 21 is released from engagement with the end of the upper arm 22 of the bellcrank lever. This permits the bellcrank lever to fall, which releases the engagement of the fork at the other end with the earb-id receptacle 1, which at once falls into the takes then the position shown in Fig. 2, the gas generated passing out rapidly through the outlet pipe 3 1. On the other hand by the rise of the rod 9, the valve 13 closes on its seat 13 and thus not only prevents the en try of any further water but also prevents the passage of any gas by the valve 13.

The nut 3 is set in such a position on the rod 3 that in the event of the carbid receptacle or cage sticking the downward movement of the rod will bring the whole weight of the water contained in the cylindrical tank 2 to bear on the carbid receptacle in order to release it.

What we do claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an automatically operated gas gen erator, the combination of a water tank supported for movement and adapted to move downward when a predetermined quantity of water is received therein, a carbid holder movable relatively to the water erator the combination of a casing provided with an inlet for water and an outlet for gas, a valve for the water inlet, a water tank movably supported within the casing to re ceive water from the water inlet and adapted to move downwardly when a predetermined quantity of water is received therein, a carbid holder in the casing supported for movement relative to the water tank,

7 said carbid holder being adapted to normally occupy a position outside of the water tank and to move into the water tank, trip mechanism for supporting the carbid holder in its normal position outside of the water tank, and means actuated through the downward movement of the water tank to operate the valve to close the water inlet and to operate said trip mechanism to release the carbid holder and permit the same to move into the water tank.

3. In an automatically operated gas generator, the combination with a casing, a water tank in the casing, a chamber within the casing above the water tank, said chamber having an opening at the bottom thereof and having a gas outlet, a carbid holder within the casing supported for movement vertically into said chamber and the water tank and adapted to normally occupy a position within said chamber, a water supply conduit leading into the casing to the water tank, and a valve connected with the carbid holder, said valve closing the opening at the bottom of the chamber when the carbid holder is positioned within said chamher, trip mechanism for supporting the carbid holder in normal position within said chamber, and means acting automatically when a predetermined quantity of water is received in the water tank to operate the trip mechanism to release and permit the carbid holder to drop into the water tank.

4:. In an automatically operated gas generator, the combination of a lever pivoted intermediate its ends, a weight connected with one end of the lever, a water tank mounted for vertical sliding movement and supported on the other end of said lever, a carbid holder supported for vertical sliding movement and adapted to normally occupy a position above the water tank and to move downwardly into the same, trip mechanism to maintain the carbid holder in elevated position above the water tank, and a connection between the lever and said trip mechanism, said water tank being adapted to move downwardly against the action of the weight when a predetermined quantity of water is received therein, and through said downward movement to tilt the lever and release the trip mechanism to permit the carbid holder to move downwardly into the water tank.

5. In an automatically operated gas generator, the combination of a lever pivoted intermediate its ends, a rod supported for vertical sliding movement and pivotally connected with and extending upwardly from one end of the lever, a weight on the rod, a water tank mounted to slide vertically and supported upon the other end of the lever, a water supply conduit leading to the water tank, a valve on the rod controlling the water supply conduit, a carbid holder supported for vertical sliding movement, and adapted to normally occupy a position above the water tank and to move downwardly into the same, trip mechanism for maintaining the carbid holder in its elevated position above the water tank, and an operative connection between the lever and said trip mechanism, the water tank being adapted to move downwardly against the action of the weight when a predetermined quantity of water is received within the same, and through said downward movement to operate the valve to close the water supply conduit and to release the trip mechanism and permit the carbid holder to descend into the water tank.

6. In an automatically operated gas generator, a water tank supported for vertical sliding movement and adapted to move downwardly when a predetermined quantity of water is received within the same, a rod secured to the water tank and extending above the same, a carbid holder slidable upon said rod and adapted to normally occupy a position above the water tank and to move downwardly into the water tank, trip mechanism for maintaining the carbid holder in its normal elevated position above the water tank, means controlled through the downward movement of the water tank to release the trip mechanism and permit the carbid holder to descend into the water tank, and an abutment on said rod adapted to engage and force the carbid holder downwardly upon the downward movement of the water tank.

7. In an automatically operated gas generator, the combination of a Water tank, and carbid feeding mechanism including carbid holding means, trip mechanism 0perabl'y associated therewith and operable by the Weight of the Water in the Water tank to release the carbid holding means and permit carbid to fall into the Water in the Water tank.

8. In an automatically operated gas generatolr, the combination of a Water tank,

and carbid feeding mechanism: including a carbid holder carbid hold-er enable by the ter tank to release the carbid holder and permit the same to fall into the Water tank.

DAVID J. SMITH. CHARLES TOWL. Witnesses -H. D. JAMEsON,

GEO. W. VAN DYNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G. 

